New Zealand Family on Vacation Finds Black Fish with 'Legs'

The ocean is home to some of the most beautiful creatures in the world—and also some of the weirdest. A New Zealand family on vacation in the Bay of Islands found that out firsthand when they encountered a squat black fish that seemed to have legs.

The family decided to bring their find to an aquarium in Auckland. Unfortunately, the fish died in its saltwater tank before that could happen. Not wanting to let the fish go to waste, the family sent its frozen body to the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.

The museum was only too happy to receive it.

Fish with 'legs', sent in for ID by Claudia Howse, Glenys Howse and James Beuvink.This weird creature is likely to be...

After inspecting the fish and analyzing a tissue sample, museum scientists were sure they were looking at an Antennarius striatus—a common bottom-dweller also known as the striated frogfish or hairy frogfish.

Having its last bath.(Edit: the frogfish is being defrosted in this photo. It was not killed intentionally or...

Hairy frogfish are found all over the world, in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They’re typically orange, yellow, or brown, but black variations aren’t unheard of.

Frogfish use their leg-like pectoral fins to amble along the ocean floor. And while they may look silly, they’re actually quite deadly. When prey approaches, Antennarius striatus wiggles its namesake antenna-like appendage, luring the other animal closer. As soon as it's in range, the hairy frogfish pops its mouth open. Its jaws open so quickly that the other animal is actually sucked in along with the surrounding water.

Though the museum appreciated this find, it's not wise to bring live animals home unless you have a permit to collect them. What looks to a layperson like a rare species may turn out to be nothing more than a common critter, and being taken from the water certainly didn’t do this frogfish any good.

Giant squid have been the object of fascination for millennia; they may have even provided the origin for the legendary Nordic sea monsters known as the Kraken. But no one had captured them in their natural environment on video until 2012, when marine biologist and bioluminescence expert Edith Widder snagged the first-ever images off Japan's Ogasawara Islands [PDF]. Widder figured out that previous dives—which tended to bring down a ton of gear and bright lights—were scaring all the creatures away. (Slate compares it to "the equivalent of coming into a darkened theater and shining a spotlight at the audience.")

In this clip from BBC Earth Unplugged, Widder explains how the innovative camera-and-lure combo she devised, known as the Eye-in-the-Sea, finally accomplished the job by using red lights (which most deep-sea creatures can't see) and an electronic jellyfish (called the e-jelly) with a flashy light show just right to lure in predators like Architeuthis dux. "I've tried a bunch of different things over the years to try to be able to talk to the animals," Widder says in the video, "and with the e-jelly, I feel like I'm finally making some progress."

Once upon a time, Ireland was connected to a larger landmass. But that time was an ice age that kept the land far too chilly for cold-blooded reptiles. As the ice age ended around 10,000 years ago, glaciers melted, pouring even more cold water into the now-impassable expanse between Ireland and its neighbors.

Other animals, like wild boars, lynx, and brown bears, managed to make it across—as did a single reptile: the common lizard. Snakes, however, missed their chance.

The country’s serpent-free reputation has, somewhat perversely, turned snake ownership into a status symbol. There have been numerous reports of large pet snakes escaping or being released. As of yet, no species has managed to take hold in the wild—a small miracle in itself.